Chevrolet Bolt EV battery can catch fire when charged

NHTSA campaign 20V701000 · Reported 2020-11-13 · General Motors LLC

critical How serious is it? About this label

Serious fire risk — the notice does not tell you to stop driving, but until the work is done you should limit charging to 90 percent or park the car outside.

⚠ Park outside, away from buildings — fire risk. See all such recalls.

What's wrong, in plain English

The big battery that powers these Bolt EVs can catch fire when it is charged all the way, or nearly all the way. As a temporary step, GM had dealers reprogram the car to stop charging at 90 percent, and told owners to set that 90 percent limit themselves or park outside until the update was done. Note: this recall was replaced by a newer one, 21V-560, and cars already fixed here still need that newer repair.

What you should do

1. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, and look for recall 21V-560 as well, since it replaced this one.
2. In the meantime, turn on Hill Top Reserve (2017-2018) or Target Charge Level (2019) to cap charging at 90 percent, or park outside.
3. Contact your Chevrolet dealer, or the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389, for the free repair.

Affected vehicles (1)

2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV

Who to contact

Chevrolet — official Chevrolet recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-222-1020

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Chevrolet electrical recalls: battery fires, stalls and software glitches · all 14 Chevrolet recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
Summary: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling all 2017-2018 and certain 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
Safety risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: This recall has been superseded by recall number 21V-560. Vehicles previously repaired under 20V-701 will still need to have the new remedy under recall 21V-560. GM will notify owners, and as an interim repair, beginning on November 17, 2020, dealers will reprogram the hybrid propulsion control module 2 (HPCM2) to limit the full charge to 90%, free of charge. Owners are advised to activate either the Hill Top Reserve (2017 and 2018 models) or Target Charge Level (2019 models) feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, or park outside, until the software update is completed. Owners were notified of the interim repair beginning November 17, 2020. The second notice was mailed on May 11, 2021. Owners may contact the Bolt EV Concierge Team at 1-833-382-4389. GM's number for this recall is N202311730.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.